Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Free Trade: Trade Agreements

Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Overseas Territories are permitted to negotiate their own free trade agreements with third countries.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: In international law the Overseas Territories (OTs) are not sovereign states in their own right and have no separate international legal personality. As such, they cannot enter into international agreements directly (including Free Trade Agreements), unless expressly authorised to do so by the UK Government under an entrustment. Agreements entered into by the UK may provide for their application to the OTs, or be extended to the OTs at a later date.

Gaza and Sudan: Famine

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what (1) funding, and (2) other assistance, they will provide along with international partners to prevent famine and starvation in (a) Gaza, and (b) Sudan.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Palestinians are facing a devastating and growing humanitarian crisis. On 20 March, the Foreign Secretary announced the UK has funded WFP to provide 2000 tons of food aid, enough to feed 275,000 people in Gaza. On 25 March, the Royal Air Force airdropped 10 tonnes of food aid - including water, rice and baby food - directly to civilians in Gaza.We continue to call for an immediate pause to get aid in and hostages out, then progress towards a sustainable, permanent ceasefire, without a return to destruction, fighting and loss of life.We have trebled our aid commitment this financial year and we are doing everything we can to get more aid in as quickly as possible by land, sea and air.With regard to Sudan, the UK has provided £42.6 million in humanitarian aid, including food security and nutrition assistance, to support people in Sudan in 2023-2024. UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) to the country will increase to £89 million for the year ahead.

Iraq: International Assistance

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what funding they are currently providing to the government of Iraq broken down in terms of (1) how much funding is provided, and (2) where this funding is directed once it reaches Iraq.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK wants to see a more stable, peaceful and prosperous Iraq. Through both our bilateral and centrally managed programmes, we aim to counter threats, foster stability and development, while promoting UK interests and values. We do not currently provide any funding directly to the Government of Iraq, rather this is delivered through implementing partners, including UN agencies, NGOs and private sector organisations. All of our partners are subject to rigorous and robust checks to ensure that our funding reaches intended beneficiaries.

Iraq: International Assistance

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what mechanisms for oversight, checks and balances, and due diligence they have in place forfunding to the government in Iraq; and whether the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office track where this funding is allocated by the government of Iraq.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We do not currently provide any funding directly to the Government of Iraq, rather our programmes are delivered through implementing partners, including UN agencies, NGOs and private sector organisations.Thorough due diligence assessments of all funding is carried out to ensure that partners have procedures in place to manage the main risks of aid diversion from activities it funds, including specific controls to ensure that assistance goes direct to the intended beneficiaries. Programmes are monitored regularly in year and through annual and project completion reviews. Third Party Monitoring, incorporated into some programmes, strengthens assurance and supports learning and evidence.

Democracy and Human Rights

Baroness Coussins: To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to publish the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's strategy on Open Societies, Democracy and Human Rights.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The FCDO acknowledges the commitment made in the International Development White Paper to publish an Open Societies and Human Rights Strategy. The Strategy is in draft, and it will be published in due course.

Hamas

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: To ask His Majesty's Government whatsteps they have taken to impede Hamas acquiring or retaining the resources to make war.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: As we have said, removing Hamas' capacity to launch attacks against Israel and Hamas no longer being in charge of Gaza are among the vital elements for a lasting peace.The UK has already imposed sanctions on key figures in Hamas' leadership, disrupting the terrorist group's financial networks which sustain their operation, including from Iran. A third tranche of sanctions was announced by FCDO in January. On 27 March the UK announced further sanctions on individuals linked to a Hamas-supporting media network. The UK continues to work closely with our partners to identify further opportunities to disrupt Hamas' financial networks, including cutting off access to funding being used to carry out atrocities.

Gaza: Humanitarian Situation

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification reportFamine Review Committee: Gaza Strip, March 2024, published on 18 March, what steps they are taking to prevent famine in Gaza.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Palestinians are facing a devastating and growing humanitarian crisis.On 20 March, the Foreign Secretary announced the UK has funded WFP to provide 2000 tons of food aid, enough to feed 275,000 people in Gaza.On 25 March, the Royal Air Force airdropped 10 tonnes of food aid - including water, rice and baby food - directly to civilians in Gaza.We have trebled our aid commitment this financial year and we are doing everything we can to get more aid in as quickly as possible by land, sea and air.We continue to call for an immediate pause to get aid in and hostages out, then progress towards a sustainable, permanent ceasefire, without a return to destruction, fighting and loss of life.

Sudan: Armed Conflict

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask His Majesty's Government what explanation they have received from the Sudanese authorities for an air strikeon a school in South Kordofan state on 14 March, which resulted in the deaths of11 children and two teachers and multiple injuries.

Lord Benyon: Our senior diplomats have used meetings with senior decision-makers in the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and other groups to raise concerns about credible reports of human rights violations. The UK continues to urge the warring parties to agree to a ceasefire, engage in a meaningful peace process, and grant immediate humanitarian access. The UK is also funding open-source investigation experts to use satellite imagery and social media to verify and preserve information relating to attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure. It is essential that those responsible for human rights violations and abuses are held to account.

Sudan: Armed Conflict

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to liaise with the new US Special Envoy for Sudan, Tom Perriello, and to further develop a coordinated international response to help to bring an end to the conflict between the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

Lord Benyon: The UK welcomes Tom Perriello's appointment as the US Special Envoy for Sudan. Minister Mitchell spoke to him on 12 March. They discussed international efforts to secure a ceasefire in Sudan. We will continue to work with the wider international community to press the warring parties to end the violence, secure urgently needed humanitarian access, ensure the protection of civilians and commit to a sustained and meaningful peace process.

Sudan: Armed Conflict

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the civil war in Sudan and the humanitarian consequences for communities and individuals across that country.

Lord Benyon: The humanitarian situation in Sudan continues to deteriorate, with 24.8 million people in need of assistance. The conflict that started on 15 April 2023 has displaced more than 8 million people, including over 1.9 million who have fled Sudan to neighbouring countries. The recent Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) projection for Sudan reveals that intense conflict and organised violence, combined with continued economic decline, have driven approximately 17.7 million people into high levels of acute food insecurity. The UK is providing £42.6 million in humanitarian aid to Sudan in 2023-2024. We are also helping those fleeing to neighbouring countries, with £7.75 million to support existing and new Sudanese refugees as well as vulnerable returnees and host communities South Sudan and £15 million to Chad.

The Gambia: Female Genital Mutilation

Lord Stevens of Birmingham: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of the Gambia concerning newlegislation which would decriminalise female genital mutilation.

Lord Benyon: The UK Government, alongside our international partners, continues to have frank and open conversations with The Gambian Government, including the President and other Ministers, about the Bill to repeal the ban on FGM. On 19 March, the Foreign Secretary issued a tweet reinforcing the UK Government's position that FGM is harmful and should be illegal, and the Minister for Development and Africa spoke to the President about the repercussions of any vote in favour of FGM once again being permitted in The Gambia.

Department for Business and Trade

Regional Assistance: Northern Ireland

Lord Dodds of Duncairn: To ask His Majesty's Government how many applications for EU State Aid approval have been made in respect of Northern Ireland since February 2023.

Lord Offord of Garvel: The Government has notified three measures to the European Commission for approval with respect to Northern Ireland since February 2023. Two of these schemes have been or will be applied UK-wide. The third is a Northern Ireland agricultural subsidy scheme, resulting from the benefit and freedom of no longer being part of the Common Agricultural Policy.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Regional Planning and Development: Finance

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve the effectiveness and efficiency ofprogrammesfunded under (1) the Levelling Up Fund, (2) the Towns Fund, and (3) the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, in addressing regional socio-economic divides across the UK.

Baroness Swinburne: The UK Government is committed to levelling up across the whole of the United Kingdom. As part of a wide range of policies and interventions, we are investing over £15 billion in a suite of complementary Levelling Up projects across the UK to help grow the economy, create jobs, redevelop local amenities, improve transport, provide skills training, and support local businesses.The department plans to complete process, impact, and value for money evaluations on these funds. These evaluations will help improve effectiveness and efficiency of local growth funding.271 bids have been awarded funding from our multi-billion-pound Levelling Up Fund, investing in infrastructure that improves everyday life for local residents across the UK. The published (attached) Levelling Up Fund Impact Evaluation Scoping Report sets out how the impact of the Fund will be estimated at the programme and project levels and at different geographies.The UK Shared Prosperity Fund, worth £2.5 billion, is focused on overcoming deep-seated geographical inequalities, with investment in communities building pride in place, supporting high quality skills training, employment and productivity growth, and increasing life chances. Details of the UKSPF Evaluation Strategy (attached) are set out here: UK Shared Prosperity Fund: evaluation - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).The department has also committed £2.35 billion worth of Town Deals and £830 million of Future High Streets Funding across 170 high streets, town centres and local communities in England via the Towns Fund. Projects are now in delivery, and the funding has already provided a much-needed boost for town centres and local high streets. Details of the Towns Fund Monitoring and Evaluation Strategy (attached) are set out here: Towns Fund monitoring and evaluation strategy.Towns Fund (pdf, 102.1KB)UKSPF (pdf, 89.4KB)Levelling Up Scoping report (pdf, 78.1KB)

Community Development: Isles of Scilly

Lord Patten: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment, if any, have they made of the cultural and economic welfare of the permanent residents of the Scilly Isles.

Baroness Swinburne: The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) is committed to levelling up all parts of our country. We have also recognised the unique circumstances and needs of island communities and their residents, including by establishing the Islands Forum. The Forum is a mechanism for discussing the challenges and opportunities faced by island communities, and for considering how by working together local government and the UK Government (and where relevant the devolved administrations) can support the people of islands across the UK.The Isles of Scilly has been awarded up to £6 million to fund a museum and cultural centre on St Mary’s. In addition, the final Local Government Finance Settlement for 2024-25 makes available up to £6.8 million to the Council of the Isles of Scilly, an increase in Core Spending Power of up to £0.5 million or 8% in cash terms on 2023-24. This includes an additional £150,000 in funding in recognition of the unique circumstances facing our island authorities, and their physical separation from the mainland.

Housing: Rents

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of figures released by the Office for National Statistics on 20 March showing an average increase in monthly rent paid by tenants in the UK of 9 per cent in the year ending in February, including an increase to 10.6 per cent in London to an average monthly rent of £2,035.

Baroness Swinburne: The Government recognises the cost of living pressures that tenants are facing, and that paying rent is likely to be a tenant’s biggest monthly expense.Over the last two years, the Government has demonstrated its commitment to supporting the most vulnerable with one of the largest support packages in Europe. Taken together, total support between 2022 and 2025 to help households with the cost-of-living is worth £108 billion – an average of £3,800 per UK household.Individuals who need help to make their rent payments may be eligible for a range of support through the welfare system. From April 2024, the Government will be spending £1.2 billion restoring Local Housing Allowance rates to the 30th percentile of local market rents. This significant investment means 1.6 million low-income households will gain, on average, nearly £800 per year in additional help towards their rental costs in 2024/25. For those who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs and need more support, Discretionary Housing Payments and Household Support Fund grants are also available from local authorities.

Department for Work and Pensions

Household Support Fund

Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the announcement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Budget Statement on 6 March that the Household Support Fund has been extended until September, what support they will provide to local authorities when the fund ends.

Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the announcement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Budget Statement on 6 March that the Household Support Fund has been extended until September, what assessment they have made of the position of local authorities who had already reduced their local crisis support services and disbanded delivery teams.

Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon: To ask His Majesty's Government whether theyhave any plans to work with (1) Barnado’s, and (2) other charities who have developed recommendations for the future of local crisis support, prior to the ending of the Household Support Fund in September.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: As announced by the Chancellor in the Spring Budget on 6 March, the government is providing an additional £500m to enable the extension of the Household Support Fund, including funding for the Devolved Administrations through the Barnett formula to be spent at their discretion. This means that Local Authorities in England will receive an additional £421m to support those in need locally through the Household Support Fund. The funding will be available to Local Authorities in England from 1 April 2024 and will run until 30 September 2024. The Household Support Fund is not the only way we are supporting people on lower incomes. April’s benefit uprating of 6.7% will see an average increase in Universal Credit of £470, raising the National Living Wage will deliver an increase of over £1800 to the gross annual earnings of someone working full-time on that wage, and uplifting Local Housing Allowance to the 30th percentile of local rents will benefit 1.6 million private renters by, on average, £800 a year. The Government has also delivered a balanced package of funding through the Local Government Finance Settlement for 2024-25 which makes available up to £64.7 billion. The most relatively deprived areas of England will receive 18% more per dwelling in available resource through the 2024-25 Settlement than the least deprived areas. As announced by the Chancellor in this year’s Spring Budget, we are also doubling the repayment period for new Universal Credit Budgeting Advances.

Workplace Pensions: Private Sector

The Earl of Effingham: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of thereport from the Institute for Fiscal Studies that around 3.5 million private sector employees do not pay anything into their pensions in a given year, and what they will do to address this.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: Automatic Enrolment has already seen more than 11 million people enrolled into pension saving to date, with around an additional £29 billion in real terms saved into workplace pensions in 2021 compared to 2012. Automatic Enrolment (AE) is and will continue to be based on the principle of extending saving to as many people as possible for whom it makes sense to save. We remain committed to increasing the number of employees who are saving, through implementing the AE 2017 Review measures to lower the age for being automatically enrolled to 18 and abolishing the lower earnings band for workplace pension contributions, which will disproportionately benefit lower earners, giving them access to an employer pension contribution for the first time. This will see 3 million people saving £2 billion extra a year. The Government supported the Pensions (Extension of Automatic Enrolment) Act 2023 which gives us the legislative powers to implement the expansion of AE subject to consultation. We remain committed to doing this in the mid-2020s.

Welfare Assistance Schemes

Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon: To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to strengthening local welfare services.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: A total of £3 billion including Barnett impact has been announced since October 2021 to enable the delivery of Household Support Fund in England. This includes over £2.5 billion allocated to Local Authorities in England. It is for the devolved administrations to decide how to allocate their additional Barnett funding. Councils continue to have the flexibility to use funding from the Local Government Finance Settlement to provide local welfare assistance. The Government has delivered a balanced package of funding through the Local Government Finance Settlement for 2024-25 which makes available up to £64.7 billion. The most relatively deprived areas of England will receive 18% more per dwelling in available resource through the 2024-25 Settlement than the least deprived areas.

Poverty: Children

Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon: To ask His Majesty's Government, following the child poverty statistics published on 21 March, what plans they have to initiate a cross-government strategy to address child poverty.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: The Department for Work and Pensions already works consistently across Government to support the most vulnerable households. This includes a cross-government senior officials’ group on poverty.

Poverty: Children

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government, following the release of data showing that the number of children living in absolute poverty has risen by the highest rate in 30 years, what steps they are taking to address the increase in child poverty rates.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: These statistics cover 2022/23, a year when war in Ukraine and global supply chain challenges led to unexpected and high rates on inflation, averaging 10% over the year. These factors are reflected in the statistics. In response to these pressures, the Government provided an unprecedented cost of living support package which helped to shield households from the impact of inflation. Analysis shows that the Government’s cost of living support prevented 1.3 million people from falling into absolute poverty after housing costs in 2022/23. That includes 300,000 children, 600,000 working-age adults and 400,000 pensioners. Since the period covered by these statistics, the Government has taken firm action to support families on the lowest incomes. The Government has spent around £276bn through the welfare system in 2023/24, including around £125bn on people of working age and children. We took action to support those on the lowest incomes by uprating benefits and State Pensions by 10.1% from April 2023. We are continuing to support people in 2024/25 by uprating working age benefits by 6.7% and raising the Local Housing Allowance rates to the 30th percentile of local market rents, benefiting 1.6 million low-income households. With over 900,000 vacancies across the UK, our focus remains firmly on supporting parents to move into and progress in work, an approach which is based on clear evidence about the importance of parental employment - particularly where it is full-time - in substantially reducing the risk of child poverty. The latest statistics show that in 2022/23, children living in workless households were over 6 times more likely to be in absolute poverty (after housing costs) than those where all adults work.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Rights of Way: Islands

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask His Majesty's Government why Natural England has notused its power to apply to the Secretary of State for creation orders to be made to create rights of way to inaccessible islands of public access land, under section 58 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.

Lord Benyon: By default, the power to create new public rights of way to reach open access land sits with local highway and access authorities, for use in any particular case where they consider there is a need for such a way and that making an order is expedient. The local authority is normally best placed to make these judgements in the light of all the local circumstances on the ground. We are aware though that the original mapping exercise under the 2000 Act focused on capturing areas as open country or registered common land, rather than on whether there was any legal way for members of the public to reach mapped areas in order to enjoy open-air recreation on them. We also recognised in a previous answer on 17 January that not all downland was mapped satisfactorily under the original exercise, and it appears that inaccessible ‘islands’ occur especially on that land type at present. Natural England will consider both issues when reviewing the open access maps. We have committed to ensuring that these are reviewed by the statutory deadline of 1 January 2031.

Import Controls

Lord Hay of Ballyore: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to dismantle the border control posts at UK ports, following the publication of Safeguarding the Union in January (CP 1021).

Lord Douglas-Miller: SPS facilities have always been necessary under all scenarios, as the Government has made clear, in order to administer red lane checks on goods moving on into the EU. This is reflected in the fact that the plans were brought forward, and the business case for the facilities was being prepared, during the passage of the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill.

Cabinet Office

Vaccination: UK Internal Trade

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government what restrictions, if any, exist for the movement of thawed COVID-19 vaccine products from Great Britain to Northern Ireland for commercial purposes as a consequence of provisions of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government whether the removal of restrictions on movement of human medicines from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, as a result of the Windsor Framework, and subsequently agreed to by the EU, also covers the movement of medical vaccines for human usage.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Windsor Framework secured an unprecedented settlement for human medicines, ensuring that licensing of all medicines will happen on a UK-wide basis by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) from 1 January 2025. The same medicines, in the same packs and with the same labels, will be available across the United Kingdom. This also applies to vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines. Vaccines can therefore be moved between GB and NI without restrictions.

Department for Education

Students: Visual Impairment

Lord Holmes of Richmond: To ask His Majesty's Government what is the educational attainment gap for blind and visually impaired students at (1) Key Stage 2, (2) GCSE, and (3) A Level; by what date, if any, they aim to eradicate that gap; and what additional research have they undertaken, or do they intend to undertake, to support work in this area.

Baroness Barran: Data is collected on pupils receiving either special educational needs support or have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan and their primary category of need. The links below provide the attainment of pupils assessed as having a primary need of ‘visual impairment’ and how this compares to other pupils:Key stage 2: data for the 2022/23 year is in the table atttached.Key stage 4: data for the 2022/23 year is in the table attached.A level: data for the 2022/23 year is in the table attached. The department wants all children and young people to be able to reach their full potential and to receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. The department is creating a new single national special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and alternative provision system for how needs are identified and met across EHC. This new single national system will set standards on what support should be made available in mainstream settings, including for children with visual impairments.The department is committed to ensuring a steady supply of teachers of children with sensory impairments in both specialist and mainstream settings. To teach a class of pupils with sensory impairments, a teacher is required to hold the relevant mandatory qualification (MQSI). There are currently six providers of the MQSI, with a seventh available from September 2024. In addition, the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education is developing a new occupational standard for teachers of sensory impairment, which is expected to launch in 2025.The national curriculum tests are designed and modified to ensure they are accessible to visually impaired pupils. Access arrangements can be agreed with exam boards before an assessment for candidates with specific needs, including SEND, to help them access assessments to show what they know and can do without changing the demands of the assessment. The intention behind an access arrangement is to meet the needs of an individual candidate without affecting the integrity of the assessment.Children and young people with SEND have more access to assistive technology (AT) following investment in remote education and accessibility features which can reduce or remove barriers to learning. Following the promising results of a pilot training programme in 2022 to increase mainstream school staff confidence using assistive technology, the government extended training to capture more detailed data on the impact on teachers and learners. The independent evaluation will be published in May 2024. The department is also now researching the AT skills required by staff at special schools, including those working with blind and visually impaired students.KS2_attainment_table (xlsx, 14.3KB)KS4_attainment_table (xlsx, 11.0KB)ALevel_attainment_table (xlsx, 9.5KB)

Financial Services: Education

Lord Cruddas: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Barran on 19 February (HL2185), what steps they are taking to ensure financial literacy education is actually reaching the most disadvantaged students.

Baroness Barran: It is crucial that all pupils are equipped with the knowledge and tools to manage their finances well in later life. That is why financial education is embedded in the national curriculum for mathematics at key stages 1 to 4, and in citizenship at key stages 3 and 4.The national curriculum is compulsory for maintained schools, but all schools are measured by Ofsted on having a broad and balanced curriculum which is comparable to the national curriculum. As with other aspects of the curriculum, schools can choose how to teach financial education and they can tailor what they teach to make sure all pupils are taught what they need to know.The Levelling Up White Paper identified 55 Education Investment Areas where the department will implement a package of measures to drive school improvement and accelerate progress towards the department’s 2030 ambition that 90% of pupils meet the expected standards in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of primary school and that the average mathematics and English GCSE grade increases to a 5.There is a range of financial education support for schools. For example, Oak National Academy, an Arm’s Length Body, has published its initial mathematics resources, with the full curriculum available by this autumn. As part of this, Oak is exploring including additional lessons in real life mathematics. Secondary citizenship resources will become available from autumn 2024 and will be complete by autumn 2025. The Money and Pensions Service has published guidance for schools and there is specialist support for fraud and tax education from the Home Office and HMRC respectively.The department also works closely with the Money and Pensions Service which exists to help people make the most of their money and pensions, particularly those most in need and those most vulnerable to financial insecurity. The Money and Pensions Service has invested £1.1 million in financial education programmes to support children and young people in vulnerable circumstances and has published guidance to help children and young people's services to embed financial wellbeing into the services they offer.

Financial Services: Education

Lord Cruddas: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Barran on 19 February (HL2185), what proportion of (1) primary, and (2) secondary, schools the Maths Hubs’ Teaching for Mastery programme has reached in the light of the targets mentioned in the Answer to reach 75 per cent of primary schools and 65 per cent of secondary schools by 2025.

Baroness Barran: As of February 2024, 69.7% of open primary schools (11,680) and 57.7% of open secondary schools (1,970) have participated in at least one year of the Teaching for Mastery Programme.

GCE A-level

Lord Elliott of Mickle Fell: To ask His Majesty's Government what are the latest available data on the number and percentage of students who left school after their A-levels to go into work; and what percentage of them received (1) 100 UCAS points or above in their A-levels, and (2) 150 UCAS points or above in their A-levels.

Baroness Barran: The department publishes information on the sustained destinations of students after 16-18 study, broken down by the level at which they studied. The table below gives the latest data on the number and percentage of students who were deemed to be at the end of 16-18 study in 2020/21 (2021 leavers) and their sustained destination in the 2021/22 academic year. This is for students studying at level 3 and the number and percentage that went on to sustain an employment destination. The destinations data does not include information on students’ A level results or UCAS points. However, over three quarters of students who studied an approved level 3 qualification completed A Levels. Sustained employment destinations of level 3 students from state-funded mainstream schools and colleges in England for the 2020/21 cohort of 16-18 leavers. 2021/22 destination yearNumber of level 3 students completing 16-18 study288,726Number of level 3 students with a sustained employment destination61,866Percentage of level 3 students with a sustained employment destination21.4% Sustained employment destination: in order to count as a sustained destination, the student must have six months of continuous employment activity between October and March in 2021/22.The way the department decides when a student is at the end of 16 to 18 study has changed for the 2020/21 (2021 leavers) and comparisons to previous cohorts should be treated with extreme caution.Total state-funded mainstream schools and colleges covers all state-funded mainstream schools, academies, free schools, city technology colleges, sixth-forms and other further education sector colleges. Excludes alternative provision, special schools, other government department funded colleges and independent schools.

Financial Services: Education

Lord Cruddas: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Barran on 19 February (HL2185), whether they plan to undertake a detailed review of the teaching of financial literacy in Denmark, Norway and Sweden with a view to updating the mathematics national curriculum.

Baroness Barran: The department has no plans to undertake a detailed review of the teaching of financial literacy in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The department continues to work closely with HM Treasury and the Money and Pensions Service to monitor the evidence base for financial education to understand what works and what further support schools may need.In order to provide stability for schools and to enable them to remain focused on raising standards of literacy and numeracy and recovery from the pandemic, the government has committed to making no changes to the national curriculum for the remainder of the Parliament.The current mathematics curriculum in England already provides young people with the mathematical knowledge that underpins their ability to make important financial decisions. Mathematics is compulsory in maintained schools and academies must teach a broad and balanced curriculum, including mathematics. Since 2014, the department has reformed the mathematics curriculum and examinations system, bringing teaching practice from high-performing jurisdictions from across East Asia to primary and secondary schools in England.International comparison studies of school-aged pupils show that England performs above the international averages for mathematics for all age groups. Before the pandemic, England achieved its highest ever mathematics score in the 2019 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study international test for year five pupils.Ofsted’s latest mathematical subject report in 2023 stated that primary mathematics education has seen "a resounding, positive shift" with curriculum sitting "at the heart of leaders' decisions and actions", whilst secondary mathematics education has seen "notable improvements" in curriculum guidance and professional development.

Breakfast Clubs

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government whatpercentage of (1) primary, and (2) secondary, schools currently provide breakfast clubs.

Baroness Barran: The government is committed to continuing support for breakfast clubs in England in schools in disadvantaged areas. Up to £40 million is being invested to continue the department’s national programme until July 2025. This funding will support up to 2,700 schools in disadvantaged areas in England, meaning thousands of children from low income families will be offered free nutritious breakfasts to better support their attainment, wellbeing and readiness to learn. Schools are eligible for the programme if they have 40% or more pupils from deprived households, as measured by the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index.The department does not currently hold recent data on the percentage of schools that provide breakfast clubs. As of November 2022, over 2,100 schools signed up to the programme, of which 65% were primary and 23% secondary.The recruitment process is still underway for schools that wish to sign up. In March 2023, 2,500 schools had signed up to the programme and the department will work with its supplier, Family Action, to monitor and publish updated data in due course.​The government is very supportive of school breakfasts and the contribution these can make to children’s wellbeing and learning. ​Alongside our national programme, there are a number of organisations such as Magic Breakfast, Kellogg’s and Greggs providing valuable support to schools with a breakfast provision.

Childcare

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the percentage of eligible families who will be able to take advantage of free childcare care hours committed by April.

Baroness Barran: In the 2023 Spring Budget, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced that free childcare would be extended to children of eligible working parents in England from nine months old to support increased parental engagement in the labour market.The proportion of eligible parents who will take up the new entitlement is provisionally estimated to be around 75% for those with children aged two, around 60% for those with children aged one and around 35% for those with children under the age of one. These estimates are detailed in a policy costing information note, which was published in July 2023. The information note can be found in the attachment.Data on actual take up of the entitlement for children aged two from April 2024 will be collected via the early years census in January 2025, and published in June or July 2025.HL3608_attachment (pdf, 172.5KB)

Childcare

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government what additionalsupport they are providing to enable local authorities and childcare providers to meet demand arising from their commitment to provide free childcare hours.

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have madeof the percentage of areas where there is a shortage of childcare facilities and providers to provide their commitment of free childcare hours.

Baroness Barran: There were 15,100 more childcare places in 2023 than the previous year, with 12,900 paid staff added to the same period according to the department’s latest Childcare and early years provider survey (2023).To support providers to expand their provision further, the department is investing over £400 million of additional funding to uplift the hourly rate for the entitlements next year. This investment consists of £67 million in new funding to reflect the latest National Living Wage increase, an additional £57 million to support providers in respect of teachers’ pay and pensions, and the £288 million for the existing entitlements in 2024/25 announced in the Spring Budget in March 2023. It also builds on the £204 million of additional investment to increase funding rates this year. To further support the sector delivering the expansion of childcare support, the government is confirming that the hourly rate providers are paid to deliver the free hours offers will increase in line with the metric used at Spring Budget 2023 for the next two years. This reflects that workforce costs are the most significant costs for childcare providers and represents an estimated additional £500 million of investment over two years. Additionally, hundreds of thousands of children aged 3 and 4 are registered for a 30-hour place, saving eligible working parents up to £6,900 per child per year, helping even more working parents and making a real difference to the lives of those families.Local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. The department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare, including supporting them through our childcare delivery support contract where appropriate.The government has allocated £100 million in capital funding to local authorities to support the expansion of childcare places and the supply of wraparound care. The funding is anticipated to deliver thousands of new places across the country.On top of the department’s funding reforms, it is also providing significant support for local authorities to deliver the early years expansion from April, such as:Appointing a delivery support contractor (Childcare Works) to provide local authorities with support, advice, guidance and best practice sharing to help them deliver the expansion and deliver enough childcare places for residents. Coram are part of the Childcare Works consortium, and the department is delighted to be working with them to support local authorities to deliver.Providing £12 million of delivery support funding to local authorities in financial year 2023/24, to help them meet the costs associated with the rollout.In February 2024, the department launched a new national recruitment campaign for the early years and childcare sector, ‘Do something Big, Work with small children’, and a financial incentives pilot. Eligible joiners and returners will receive a tax-free payment of up to £1,000. This followed the introduction of workforce flexibilities to the Early Years Foundation Stage in January 2024.The department has also introduced Skills Bootcamps for Early Years which will create a pathway to accelerated Level 3 Early Years Apprenticeships.

Visas: British National (Overseas)

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessmentthey have made of the Hong Kong Watch report, Tuition Fees for BNO Visa Holders: The Case for Home Fee Status, and the impact of the cost of international fees on the ability of young British National (Overseas) (BNO) visa holders to attenduniversity; and whether they will follow the Scottish Government in introducing home fees status for BNO visa holders after three years of residency in the UK.

Baroness Barran: To qualify for home fee status in England, a person must have settled status or ’a recognised connection’ to the UK. A recognised connection includes persons who are covered by the EU Withdrawal Agreement, have long residence in this country or who have been granted international protection by the Home Office. There are also requirements associated with ordinary residence in the UK.Subject to meeting the normal eligibility requirements, Hong Kong BN(O) status holders will be able to qualify for home fee status and student finance once they have acquired settled status in the UK (usually after 5 years). Education is fully devolved, and administrations are able to make their own arrangements for accessing home fee status.

Teachers: Training

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether theDepartment for Education’s teacher training recruitment targets for (1) secondary school teachers, and (2) primary school teachers, will be met this year.

Baroness Barran: The number of teachers remains high, with more than 468,000 working in state-funded schools across the country, 27,000 more than in 2010.Performance against target is reported in the Initial Teacher Training Census official statistics, in which the department publishes information on the numbers and characteristics of new entrants to ITT.The recruitment cycle is still ongoing. Final data and headlines will be published in the Census in December 2024.

Treasury

Food: Prices

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the easing grocery price inflation on (1) consumer spending habits, and (2) household budgets.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Inflation reduces real incomes, creates uncertainty, and threatens our growth outlook so it’s essential that the government continues with its efforts to keep inflation down. The government remains steadfast in our support for the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England.Food inflation has fallen from a peak of 19.6% in March 2023 to 5.0% in February 2024.The latest data suggests real household disposable income per capita was 1.4% higher in Q4 2023 than in Q4 2022.ONS retail sales remained unchanged on the month in February. This followed an increase in retail sales volumes of 3.6% on the month in January, fully offsetting the decline in December. Food store sales were 2.8% higher in February than in December.

Housing Market

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to (1) ensure that stabilising mortgage rates contribute to sustained growth in the housing market, and (2) address challenges faced by homebuyers concerning the increased cost of living.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The path to lower interest rates is through low inflation, and the Government is fully committed to supporting the Bank of England get inflation back down to the 2% target, including by keeping borrowing under control.While the pricing of mortgages is ultimately a commercial decision for lenders in which the Government does not intervene, our plan is working, and the average offered mortgage rates on 2-year and 5-year fixed rates are now lower compared to their peak in Summer 2023.The Government is committed to making the aspiration of homeownership a reality for as many households as possible and consequently operates a range of schemes that aim to increase the supply of low-deposit mortgages for credit-worthy households, including first-time buyers, increase the availability of new housing, and stimulate economic growth. These include the Mortgage Guarantee Scheme, which is open until the end of June 2025. We also help first-time buyers to save for a deposit through the Lifetime ISA and Help to Buy: ISA.Over 876,000 households have been helped to purchase a home since spring 2010 through government-backed schemes.

Taxation: Electronic Government

Lord Lipsey: To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they gave to the Report from the Communications and Digital Committee Digital exclusion (3rd Report, Session 2022–23, HL Paper 219) when removing the postal address for HMRC from tax code notices.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: HMRC could not have considered the 2022-23 Communications and Digital Committee Report on Digital Exclusion when removing the postal address from tax code notices, as this change occurred over 5 years ago. In keeping with the HMRC Charter principles, the Department aims to balance digital initiatives with accessibility for those facing digital exclusion.

Public Finance

Lord Browne of Ladyton: To ask His Majesty's Government whether any work is underway to prepare for a fiscal event outside of the usual Treasury timetable.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Treasury develops policy throughout the year, in line with the Chancellor’s priorities and regardless of whether a date for a fiscal event has been announced.The government is required by law to commission the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) to produce two forecasts per year and to hold a Budget each fiscal year.The Chancellor has not announced the date of the next fiscal event.

UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland

Lord Dodds of Duncairn: To ask His Majesty's Government, following the commencement of section 45B of the UK Internal Market Act 2020, what export procedures will apply to goods moving from Northern Ireland to Great Britain that are subject to provisions of Union law falling within the second sentence of Article 6(1) of the Windsor Framework, which prohibit or restrict the exportation of goods; what is a practical example of what a business moving a good in this context will encounter in terms of paperwork and checks; when the export procedure will be commenced; and how they plan to apply the procedure if there is no Border Control Post at Cairnryan.

Lord Dodds of Duncairn: To ask His Majesty's Government, following the commencement of section 45B of the UK Internal Market Act 2020, what export procedures will apply to goods moving from Northern Ireland to Great Britain that are placed under the export procedure within the Union in accordance with Title V and Title VIII of Regulation (EU) 952/2013, what is a practical example of what a business moving a good in this context will encounter in terms of paperwork and checks; when the export procedure will be commenced; and how they plan to apply the procedure if there is no Border Control Post at Cairnryan.

Lord Morrow: To ask His Majesty's Government, following the commencement of section 45B of the UK Internal Market Act 2020, what export procedures will apply to goods moving from Northern Ireland to Great Britain when placed under a procedure listed in Article 210 of Regulation (EU) No 952/2013;what is a practical example of what a business moving a good in this context will encounter in terms of paperwork and checks; when the export procedure will be commenced; and how they plan to apply the procedure if there is no Border Control Post at Cairnryan.

Lord Dodds of Duncairn: To ask His Majesty's Government, following the commencement of section 45B of the UK Internal Market Act 2020, what export procedures will apply to goods moving from Northern Ireland to Great Britain that do not exceed 3,000 euros in value and are packed or loaded for export shipment within the Union, in accordance with Article 221 of Regulation (EU) 2015/2447, what is a practical example of what a business moving a good in this context will encounter in terms of paperwork and checks; when the export procedure will be commenced; and how they plan to apply the procedure if there is no Border Control Post at Cairnryan.

Lord Morrow: To ask His Majesty's Government, following the commencement ofsection 45B of the UK Internal Market Act 2020, what export procedures will apply to goods moving from Northern Ireland to Great Britain to goods that are in temporary storage in accordance with Article 144 of Regulations (EU) No 952/2013; what is a practical example of what a business moving a good in this context will encounter in terms of paperwork and checks; when the export procedure will be commenced; and how they plan to apply the procedure if there is no Border Control Post at Cairnryan.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Windsor Framework removes the requirement for export procedures that existed under the original Protocol and the subsequent 2020 agreement on the need for "equivalent information", with such controls only applying to a niche set of goods. Consistent with this, we have now laid domestic legislation under the Safeguarding the Union package that expressly prohibits export procedures applying to goods moving Northern Ireland to Great Britain, restoring our unfettered access safeguards. Detailed guidance on the treatment of relevant goods where exceptions apply is available on gov.uk.

Economic Situation

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government, following the revision to the UK's sovereign credit outlook by global ratings agency Fitch from negative to stable, what assessment theyhave made of the impact of this on the UK's standing in (1) global trade, and (2) investment markets.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: On the 22nd of March 2024 Fitch returned the UK’s rating to AA- with a stable outlook, meaning all three major credit ratings agencies now indicate that the UK has a stable outlook.This is further evidence that the economy is turning a corner. Inflation has fallen from over 11% to 3.4% and is forecast to fall back to target in a few months’ time. The economy has grown so far this year, with growth forecast to pick up both this year and next. Debt is falling in the final year of the forecast, meeting our fiscal rules.Underlying demand for the UK’s sovereign debt remains strong and is supported by a generally well-diversified investor base. This reflects the UK’s central position in global trade and investment markets.

Consumer Prices Index

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the factors contributing to the recent decline in consumer prices inflation.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has raised interest rates, which is helping to bring inflation down and return to the 2% target sustainably. The Government's responsible approach to borrowing has helped support the MPC as it brings inflation down.The Office for Budget Responsibility expects CPI inflation to fall to the 2% target in the second quarter of 2024, a year earlier than they expected in November.

Consumers: Expenditure

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of recent trends in consumer spending; and what assessment they have made of the impact of this on (1) the retail sector, and (2) the wider economy.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Consumer confidence has strengthened considerably over the past year. The March 2024 release of the GfK index indicated that consumer confidence was 15 points stronger than in March 2023.  Government continues to back consumers and retailers. With the economy beginning to turn a corner, we are now able to make responsible tax cuts to boost growth while meeting the fiscal rules to ensure sustainable public finances. These include cutting the employee main rate of National Insurance to 8%, which will make an average worker on £35,400 over £900 a year better off than before.At Autumn Statement 2023 we extended Retail, Hospitality and Leisure relief for 2024-5, a tax cut worth £2.4 billion, and froze the small business multiplier for a fourth consecutive year. At Spring Budget 2024, the government went further still by supporting small retailers by increasing the VAT registration threshold to £90,000 and extending the Recovery Loan Scheme, now the Growth Guarantee Scheme.Consumer confidence is intrinsically linked to inflation, household finances and the broader economic outlook. To sustain consumer confidence, consumers need to feel assured that their government is taking the long-term decisions necessary to strengthen the economy and build a brighter future.Combined, recent policy measures will place more money in people’s pockets, helping boost consumer confidence, and strengthen the UK’s retail sector.

National Insurance Contributions

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks of Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 18 March (HL Deb col 82), what is their assessment of the implications for calculating entitlement to contributory working age benefits and pensions of abolishing national insurance contributions.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Cutting NICs does not affect anyone’s entitlement to the State Pension or contributory benefits.

Home Office

Counter-terrorism

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what evidence they have for describing socialism and communism as "united by a set of grievance narratives" in the latest version of the Home Office online Prevent duty training modules amended in July 2023.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Prevent plays a vital role in tackling radicalisation, seeking to intervene early where somebody is at risk of becoming a terrorist or supporting terrorism.The Prevent duty training service is continually reviewed to align with the recommendations made in the Independent Review of Prevent, new Prevent Duty Guidance and CONTEST 2023. The latest update includes removal of the reference describing socialism and communism as "united by a set of grievance narratives" from the training module.We will continue to improve and update the training modules to ensure that we can keep the public safe.

Crime: Rural Areas

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to the National Rural Crime Network’s call for the Home Office to undertake a comprehensive economic impact assessment of rural crime in its report Rural Crime: Serious, Organised and International, published on 10 March.

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to producing a rural crime strategy which would be fully integrated into the overall Government Crime Strategy, as called for in the National Rural Crime Network’s recent report, Rural Crime: Serious, Organised and International, published on 10 March.

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the links between wildlife offences and the drugs trade, as highlighted in the report Rural Crime: Serious, Organised and International published by the National Rural Crime Network, published on 10 March.

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the UK’s decision to leave the EU on the UK’s ability to track down or trace stolen plant and agricultural machinery.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: We welcome the National Rural Crime Network’s report and will consider its recommendations.This Government is committed to tackling the threat from Serious and Organised Crime (SOC). In December 2023, we published the 2023 Serious and Organised Crime Strategy that commits to reducing SOC in the UK by disrupting and dismantling organised crime groups and networks operating in and against the UK.Serious and organised crime is a major threat to the national security and prosperity of the UK. It costs lives, blights communities, hampers economic growth, and corrodes the global reputation of the UK and its institutions.The Government welcomed the rural and wildlife crime strategy published by the National Police Chiefs’ Council in September 2022, this provides a comprehensive framework through which policing, and partner agencies can work together to tackle rural and wildlife crime, including where it is linked to other forms of serious and organised crime such as the drugs trade.The National Rural Crime Unit works closely with Interpol to share information about stolen agricultural and construction machinery. As a result of the partnership it has established with INTERPOL, equipment has been recovered from criminal gangs across Europe.

Immigration: Databases

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: To ask His Majesty's Government what progress has been made in correcting the errors in the Person Centric Data Platform and Atlas system, which have led to the merging of different immigration records.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Person Centric Data Platform (PCDP) holds millions of identities that have been submitted or otherwise provided in support of immigration applications to the UK over many years. The Home Office is aware of issues around ‘merged identity’ - where a single ‘identity island’ has been formed with data belonging to two or more individuals within the PCDP. This is not an issue with Atlas - which provides caseworking capabilities supporting business processing of applicants. Through detailed analysis of PCDP data, the Home Office has identified around 46,000 records with an identity issue, of which over 13,000 have already been resolved. We have a dedicated team working to resolve the remainder as quickly, and as carefully, as possible. The Home Office takes data security and accuracy very seriously. Substantial changes have been made to our IT systems to improve data quality, user experience, and caseworking productivity across multiple applications. Where customers identify an issue with their data, we encourage them to contact the UK Visas and Immigration Contact Centre to enable this to be investigated and resolved.

Department of Health and Social Care

Cancer: Prescription Drugs

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s severity modifier on the prescribing of cancer medicines.

Lord Markham: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published its updated manual for health technology evaluations in January 2022, and has introduced a number of changes to make its methods and processes fairer, faster, and more consistent. This includes the introduction of a broader severity modifier in place of the end-of-life modifier. NICE has been monitoring the impact of the changes that it introduced and analysis carried out by NICE for the first year of the updated manual’s implementation shows that NICE’s committee accepted 11 out of 13 cases where the company applied for a severity modifier, with eight of these being for cancer medicines.

NHS England: Data Protection

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what deficiency in NHS England’s Secure Data Environment was described in paragraph 5.1.10 of the minutes from the 29 February meeting of the Advisory Group for Data, and what steps are being taken to rectify that deficiency.

Lord Markham: The point made in the meeting was unrelated to any deficiency within the Secure Data Environment (SDE). The requirement from the Home Office is for specific statistical models and systems to be applied across the dataset requested, which is made up of aggregated data. This specific functionality is available from within the Home Office’s own technical environment, and not from within the SDE. There are no plans at this time to migrate this functionality within the SDE.

Cancer: Research

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will establish targeted funding to prioritise and drive research investment into pancreatic cancer and the other less survivable cancers.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will encourage the National Institute for Health and Care Research to rigorously evaluate existing research efforts and review how they can further prioritise and drive research investment for pancreatic cancer and other less survivable cancers.

Lord Markham: Research is crucial in the fight against cancer, which is why the Department invests £1 billion per year in health research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR research expenditure for all cancers was £121 million for 2022/23.In terms of establishing targeted funding into pancreatic cancer, the NIHR funds research in response to proposals received from scientists rather than allocating funding to specific disease areas. It is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.The Government, through the NIHR, is committed to improving research into pancreatic cancer and cancers with the poorest survival rates by funding high quality, timely research that leads to improved outcomes for patients and the public, and makes the health and social care system more efficient, effective, and safe. Research evidence is vital for improving treatments and outcomes for people, including those with pancreatic cancer and other less survivable cancers.In 2023, the Government awarded £2 million to new interdisciplinary research teams tackling hard to treat cancers, via the Medical Research Council, which hosted a two-day cancer sandpit strategic funding opportunity, focused on technological innovation for understanding cancers with the poorest survival rates.The NIHR has funded seven research projects for pancreatic cancer for the period 2019 to 2023, with a total committed spend of approximately £3.6 million. The NIHR also supports the delivery of pancreatic cancer research funded by those in the charity and public sectors. For example, since 2019, the NIHR Clinical Research Network has supported over 70 pancreatic cancer-related studies.The NIHR continues to encourage and welcome applications for research into any aspect of human health, including pancreatic cancer. All applications are assessed for funding by peer review committees. The level of research spend in a particular area is driven by factors including the quality of the proposals and their scientific potential. All applications for research into pancreatic cancer and other less survivable cancers made through open competition have been funded.

Surgery: Waiting Lists

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the role of insourcing as a solution to eliminating waiting list backlogs for elective procedures.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made regarding the potential for insourcing to tackle NHS waiting lists.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that NHS trusts are made aware of (1) insourcing arrangements as a route to reducing local waiting lists, and (2) the benefits of insourcing for (a) patients, and (b) NHS trusts.

Lord Markham: Independent sector providers have a significant role to play in supporting the National Health Service as trusted partners, to recover elective services. The Elective Recovery Taskforce was launched in 2022 to consider how capacity across the system could be best utilised, including how insourcing could be used to meet the ambitions on long waits. The taskforce concluded its work by publishing an implementation plan in August 2023, which sets out a series of actions that have either been delivered, or will be delivered, over the coming months.Local systems are best placed to consider how to utilise insourcing as part of their delivery plans, in a way which works for their areas. To support the system, NHS England produced Guidance for trusts on the use of insourcing and NHS Shared Business Services produced the Insourcing of Clinical Services Framework Agreement.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Research

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made on the funding of biomedical research into myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) since the then Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health and Social Care stated on 24 January 2019 that “there have not been good enough research proposals in the ME space, partly because of the stigma… and partly because of the division in the medical community”.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government how much research funding the National Institute for Health and Care Research and the Medical Research Council have invested in biomedical studies of the causes and treatment of myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) and non-biomedical studies of ME since 2019.

Lord Markham: The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Since 2019, the NIHR has awarded £1.9 million for research into myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), also known as chronic fatigue syndrome. The Medical Research Council (MRC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), has invested £3.6 million since 2019.This funding includes the NIHR and UKRI co-funded DecodeME study, a £3.2 million study into the genetic underpinning of ME. The study will analyse samples from 25,000 people with ME, to search for genetic differences that may indicate underlying causes or an increased risk of developing the condition. This study aims to increase our understanding of the disease, and therefore contribute to the research base on diagnostic tests and targeted treatments for ME.In 2020, the NIHR, the Chief Scientist Office in Scotland, and the MRC also funded the James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership for ME, facilitated by the charity Action for ME. The report sets out the top 10 research priorities for ME. These recommendations have been co-produced through a process led by a steering group of people living with ME, carers, and clinicians.In the interim delivery plan on ME, the Department recognised that there has been a relatively low amount of biomedical research funded on ME, compared with disease burden. The NIHR and MRC welcome applications for further biomedical research into ME. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. In all disease areas, the amount of funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity.

Ministry of Defence

Veterans: Radiation Exposure

Lord Watson of Wyre Forest: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byThe Earl of Minto on 19 March (HL3052), to what extent they take into account (1) the age of nuclear test veterans, and (2) the public interest, when prioritising ministerial diary engagements.

The Earl of Minto: We are grateful to all Service personnel who participated in the British nuclear testing programme and contributed to keeping our nation secure. Ministerial diaries are prioritised across a broad range of issues in accordance with departmental need and parliamentary engagements.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Natural Gas and Oil: Azerbaijan

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by Global Witness on 8 November 2023 that BPand its project partners had transferred $35 billion-worth of oil and gas production to the government of Azerbaijan since 2020, the year that war broke out in the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, and whether they plan to take any action in response.

Lord Callanan: The Government has made no such assessment.

Energy: Prices

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government whatsupport they intend to provide to households to adapt to changes in energy prices.

Lord Callanan: Energy prices have fallen significantly since winter 2022-23, and the Quarter 2 2024 price cap of £1,690 has fallen by nearly 60% since the Quarter 1 2023 price cap peak. Despite this, the Government has committed to supporting households in 2024-25, with a further cut to National Insurance contributions down to 8%, an increase to benefits of 6.7%, and the largest increase to the National Living Wage. The Warm Home Discount continues to provide a £150 rebate off energy bills for eligible low-income households until 2025-26.